Ponds

1. First you need to decide on the position of your pond. We recommend that the pool be position in a sunny area of your garden.
2. Decide on the shape of the pond: round, square or natural shape. Once decided determine the contour using string.   
3. Be prepared when you start digging as you will need specialized tools, it will also take a lot of work and effort. Use the soil you have dug out to build a waterfall.   
4. It is necessary to use a type of pond lining that is light, resistant, water-proof, durable and most importantly easy to use; you won’t want to encounter problems when installing it.  
5. Installing the cables. You need to carefully plan this step. You will need to install the pump hose, filters and the electricity system, ensuring all cables are hidden between plants and soil.   
6. Place rocks on any cuts in the lining so that everything looks natural and with this you can also hide the hoses and cables and for a better visual result use different sizes of rocks.  
7. In you are building two ponds you also need a channel to connect them. The channel will be filled with gravel so that the water can slowly flow from one pond to the other. The gravel will also help with the filtration of the water.  
8. When covering the edges of the pond lining use gravel instead of soil or sand. Gravel is usually poor in nutrients and prevents algae from growing.  
9. Once the pound is prepared fill with water, and then plant your aquatic plants. Don’t worry if it looks deserted, the plants will grow in no time at all.  
10. You will need to wait about four weeks for the pond’s balance to settle before introducing any fish.  

Plants can be bought from specialized stores and you can obtain information about all kind of different species. If you are a novice it is preferable to ask a specialist.  

Buying the fish 

You should only buy fishes from aquarium stores, do not try to bring fish from their natural environment into your pond, as you could incur legal consequences or bring parasites different diseases in to your pond.

You must take into consideration the requirements of all the different fish species in order to determine their compatibility and also the compatibility between the fish and your pond.  

To avoid trouble follow the simple rule: 30 cm long fishes need at least 1000 l of water.  

Things to remember 

Always remember to follow a few important parameters: have enough plants, night ventilation systems, good filtration system and of course take into consideration the requirements of the specific fish you have chosen.